Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from top wine experts. Whenever there’s an option, I highlight the more-affordable wines, focusing on possible choices for weekend purchases. Check their websites for full descriptions and other picks:
2006 Domaine Dereskos Chardonnay Regional Wine Of Messinia, Greece:
Natalie MacLean — “strange but enjoyable take on chardonnay — sort of like when opera diva Sarah Brightman sings pop tunes,” her best value white. $13.95
2005 Chaddsford Merlot, Pennsylvania:
Jerry Shriver — “a symbol of America’s regional winemaking renaissance … nice structure, juicy black cherry flavors and a chocolaty finish.” About $20
Torres de Anguix ‘Barrica’ 2003:
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher — “a beauty: fascinating, earthy and filled with dark fruit … truly one of the best bargains of the year.” $9.99
2006 Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore:
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg — under the “Soft and Mineral” category … a “‘great match’” with creamier seafood dishes. $22
2006 Domaine de la Quilla Muscadet:
Olivia Wu — among the least expensive in the “The Great Oyster Smackdown” … read this entire article if you intend to encounter an oyster in the foreseeable future. $10
Tip: Print out this list and bring it to you local wine shop — even if a specific favorite isn’t available, ask the salesperson to recommend something similar. Or try browsing the latest wine reports from this custom collection of hundreds of news websites — filtered for bargains, continuously updated, and quick and easy to scan:
To hit closer to home, try WNR’s Advanced Wine Search tool and see what wine finds local columnists and wine experts may be writing about in your area. Once there, just type in your city and state (within quotation marks, as in, “Napa, California”), to get results ranked by relevance.
Or dig into some perennial standbys at SFGate.com’s Top 100 Wines of 2006, the Top 100 of 2006 list (PDF download) from Wine Spectator and the list of 50 Wines You Can Always Trust from Food & Wine.
Attracted to a bottle that’s advertised in the local paper or sitting on the local wine store shelf?
Do a little background research with Wine Enthusiast’s free, searchable Wine Buying Guide—either with a specific name or by types and price. For a little extra info, try Robert Parker’s handy Vintage Chart. Or see what the online wine community says about it with the search tools at cork’d, snooth or Wine Log.
Once you’ve selected the wine, you naturally want to decide what to eat with it. For some savvy guidance, try Natalie MacLean’s Wine & Food Matcher, which boasts a database of 360,000 wine-food pairings.
The Web is about community. So take a moment to comment about your experience with a particular wine — to help steer others to or away from it. And of course, have a great weekend!